By Joe Townsend
The Street Soccer Foundation is paving the way nationally and globally for football to become one of the most dynamic mechanisms for combating youth homelessness.
As the foundation approaches its 10th anniversary, it is evident the charity’s unique way of using the power of sport to tackle homelessness among youngsters is unparalleled.
In 2015, dismayed by youth homelessness statistics in the UK, Keith Mabbutt, a successful entrepreneur and former footballer, decided to see if the world's favourite sport could become a catalyst for change.
Nearly a decade later, the Street Soccer Foundation has become the number one football-orientated project tackling youth homelessness in England, investing hundreds of thousands of pounds into communities up and down the country, and witnessing hundreds of young adults graduate from its Street Soccer Academies.
Keith Mabbutt, founder and CEO of the Street Soccer Foundation, said: "My motto is 'change your mindset, change your life'." Combining this attitude and the core values of the foundation (community, honesty, passion, respect and teamwork), football becomes a "universal language that can be a powerful tool for addressing homelessness and building stronger communities", Mabbutt said.
Youth homelessness has risen by 40% over the last five years and without organisations such as the Street Soccer Foundation working to tackle one of the largest social issues in the country, this worrying trend is sure to continue.
The Street Soccer Academy and National Cup
The Street Soccer Academy is the centrepiece of the foundation’s crusade to help engage young adults who are either homeless or at risk of homelessness. It consists of a 10-week personal development programme that has now been rolled out across numerous Premier League and EFL club community organisations, including at Liverpool, Chelsea, and West Ham. The sessions are open to 18 to 30-year-olds, selected through consultation with local organisations such as homeless charities, hostels, social services and NHS professionals. The academies run during the spring and autumn.
The refined ‘hat-trick’ structure of the course combines football coaching, growth mindset training and soft skills development workshops, with a particular focus on mental health and resilience. This differentiation between the football skills element and discussion-orientated classroom exercises encourages participants to build up confidence, take on leadership roles and learn skills crucial to succeeding in the workplace. The aim is for individuals to complete the programme and use the skills developed to progress into either work, education or further training.
Following the completion of the course, there is an opportunity for academy graduates to represent the club that hosted their programme in a five-a-side tournament called the Street Soccer National Cup. This year’s tournament took place at Leicester City’s training ground, with previous editions being held at St George’s Park and the London Stadium.
Mabbutt said: “By focusing on holistic development, fostering an inclusive community and a partnership-led approach to delivery and service provision, while offering practical pathways to employment, initiatives like the Street Soccer Academy programme can make a lasting impact on individuals' lives and society as a whole.”
The Foundation’s future
The future looks bright for the Street Soccer Foundation. It has a Street Soccer Stars Division working with children from ages five to 17, consisting of both junior and youth Street Soccer academies alongside soccer schools and holiday activity camps.
On top of this, last year the foundation became an internationally recognised Sport For Change charity. The foundation established a global football initiative called Football For Good which, in partnership with the Commonwealth, runs leagues and cups similar to the Street Soccer Foundation blueprint. An estimated 1.5 billion people aged under 30 live within the Commonwealth. The Street Soccer Foundation’s ambition is to highlight how football can bring together communities by championing peace, equality, diversity and inclusion while inspiring, educating and empowering young people to create positive change. Mabbutt said: “Sport can be harnessed to provide hope, opportunity, and tangible support to those in need.”
The foundation also recently launched another national project called The Big Goal. It partners Street Soccer academies with local businesses, all ICT firms. These companies have sponsored their local academy and visited to give employment advice and offer job opportunities and work experience placements. Industry giant Giacom, for instance, has come on board. An inaugural five-a-side tournament, to be held later this year, is being created for companies across the ICT sector to generate money to sponsor more academies going forward. The aim is to combine one of the largest industries in the UK with the nation's favourite sport, all with the goal of combating youth homelessness.
The continued success of its national academies, cups and numerous complementary projects makes the Street Soccer Foundation an outstanding example of an organisation using sport to better communities.
The organisation proves that by examining issues that affect communities in a more nuanced and holistic way, it can make significant strides where others have struggled.